NORTON, Mass. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated in four set by visiting Endicott College, 3-1 (22-25, 25-12, 25-18, 25-23), this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass. 

The Lyons fall to 11-14 on the season, while the Gulls win their third straight contest to improve to 18-7.

Endicott hit .186 for the match, while Wheaton served up 12 aces, including eight in the first set.

First year outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) swung for 11 kills on a .296 hitting mark for the Lyons to go with five aces and a block assist for a total of 16.5 points in addition to four digs. Junior outside hitter Annah Shaheen (Portsmouth, N.H.) put away 10 kills and added five digs and a block assist, while senior middle hitter Bailey Madrzyk (Barrington, Ill.) contributed with eight kills on a .250 hitting clip to go with a pair of digs and a block assist. Senior setter Hannah George (Duxbury, Mass.) directed the offense with 30 assists in addition to five digs, a block assist and two aces. Senior libero Sophie Wilhelm (Saunderstown, R.I.) got down for 12 digs and fired an ace.

Graduate student outside hitter Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.) spiked for a match-high 17 kills to lead Endicott and hit .308 for the match and added seven digs, an ace and a block assist for the Gulls. Senior middle blocker Krystina Schueler (Trumbull, Conn.) put down seven kills to go with four block assists and a dig and graduate student middle blocker Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.) registered 10 points on five kills and six total blocks, including a pair of solos. Senior setter Lauren McGrath (Franklin, Mass.) posted a double-double of 16 assists and 11 digs, while sophomore libero Emma Ruel (Duxbury, Mass.) picked up a match-high 13 digs.

Endicott took a 13-9 lead midway through the opening set, but Lyon fired five straight aces to fuel a 7-0 run and give Wheaton a 16-13 lead. Shaheen also found the court for an ace to give the Lyons their largest lead at 22-17, before Madrzyk put a kill down to take the set at 25-22.

The Gulls scored five of the first six points of the second set and never trailed in the frame. Wheaton closed to within 8-6 following a Shaheen kill, but Endicott effectively put the frame out of reach with a 13-2 run, including a pair of kills from Schueler, to take a 21-8 lead. The visitors maintained their lead to take the set and tie the match at 1-1.

Junior middle hitter Megan Kelleher (Wethersfield, Conn.) gave the Lyons their only lead of the third set with a kill to make it 2-1, but it was short-lived. The Gulls later owned a 10-7 margin, before an 8-3 stretch, including a pair of Gilbert kills, gave them an 18-10 cushion. Endicott maintained its lead to take the set at 25-18 after a kill from senior defensive specialist Alexandra Tecun (Hawthorne, Calif.).

The teams played within three points of each other for the majority of the fourth set before being deadlocked at 18-18. The Gulls scored the next three points to take a 21-18 lead and later owned a 24-20 margin after an ace from McAvoy. Wheaton made things interesting with three unanswered points, including an ace from Wilhelm to pull the home team to within 24-23. Gilbert finished the match with her 17th kill and sent Endicott home winners in four sets.

The Lyons return to action on Saturday, October 29 at 1:00 p.m. when they host New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference foe Clark University at Emerson Gymnasium, while the Gulls head to Wenham, Mass. to take on Gordon College on the same day at 10:00 a.m. as part of a tri-match with Plymouth State University.